‘Akeke‘e
Encyclopedia
The Akekee is a bird
species
in the family
Fringillidae, where it is placed in the Hawaiian honeycreeper
genus
Loxops
. It is endemic to the island of Kauai
where it is found in small numbers in higher elevations. Because of the unusual bill and similar size and shape, the Akekee and the [[ʻAkepa|Ākepa]] (Loxops coccineus) were for some time classified as a single species. This was eventually changed, because of the Akekees color, nesting behavior and calls.
s (Loxia). The Akekees call is softer than its relatives.
The Akekee uses its bill like scissors to cut open buds in search of insects to eat. It also takes the nectar to certain trees as part of its diet. This bird creates nests from simple twigs while the Ākepa use tree cavities as their nest sites.
, Alakai Wilderness Preserve and Kōkee State Park
. It has been heading toward extinction
because of its lack of tolerance to alteration of its habitat
, which is based on mesic and wet forests, especially ōhia lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha
) trees.
), a passionflower vine
, that displace the native plants. Feral pigs and feral goat
s also destroy native growth. Eventually, the insects on which the Akekee feeds will disappear from such areas, as they do not find their usual host plants anymore. Avian malaria
(Plasmodium relictum) and fowlpox
transmitted by accidentally introduced mosquito
s continues to wreak havoc on the Akekee; this is the reason why these birds are hardly ever found anymore below 1,100 meters ASL
, but only in higher regions where the mosquitoes do not occur yet. Forest clearing in different parts of the island of Kauai has caused a major loss of habitat of many birds.
Conservation status for this species was updated to Critically Endangered
in 2008 due to a rapid decrease in population over the last decade. Current population estimates are under 5,000 birds.
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
in the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Fringillidae, where it is placed in the Hawaiian honeycreeper
Hawaiian honeycreeper
Hawaiian honeycreepers are small, passerine birds endemic to Hawaii. Some authorities still categorize this group as a family Drepanididae, but in recent years, most authorities consider them a subfamily, Drepanidinae, of Fringillidae, the finch family...
genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Loxops
Loxops
Loxops is a Hawaiian honeycreeper genus in the finch family, Fringillidae.It contains the following species:* [[ʻAkekeʻe]] * [[ʻAkepa]]...
. It is endemic to the island of Kauai
Kauai
Kauai or Kauai, known as Tauai in the ancient Kaua'i dialect, is geologically the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands. With an area of , it is the fourth largest of the main islands in the Hawaiian archipelago, and the 21st largest island in the United States. Known also as the "Garden Isle",...
where it is found in small numbers in higher elevations. Because of the unusual bill and similar size and shape, the Akekee and the [[ʻAkepa|Ākepa]] (Loxops coccineus) were for some time classified as a single species. This was eventually changed, because of the Akekees color, nesting behavior and calls.
Description
The Akekee is a greenish-yellow bird with a black mask around the eye (especially prominent in the male) and a bluish bill, unlike the [[ʻAkepa|Ākepa]], which is usually red, canary-yellow or orange, without black, and have horn-colored bills. Their bill-tips are crossed over, though not bent as in distantly-related Fringillidae the crossbillCrossbill
The crossbill is a bird in the finch family . The three to five species are all classified in the genus Loxia. These birds are characterised by the mandibles crossing at their tips, which gives the group its English name...
s (Loxia). The Akekees call is softer than its relatives.
The Akekee uses its bill like scissors to cut open buds in search of insects to eat. It also takes the nectar to certain trees as part of its diet. This bird creates nests from simple twigs while the Ākepa use tree cavities as their nest sites.
Habitat
The Akekee is currently found only in the Waimea Canyon State ParkWaimea Canyon State Park
Waimea Canyon, also known as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific, is a large canyon, approximately ten miles long and up to 3,000 feet deep, located on the western side of Kauai in the Hawaiian Islands. Waimea is Hawaiian for "reddish water," a reference to the erosion of the canyon's red soil...
, Alakai Wilderness Preserve and Kōkee State Park
Koke'e State Park
Kōkee State Park is located in northwestern Kauai in the Hawaiian Islands. It includes a museum at the marker on State Road 550, which focuses on the weather, vegetation, and bird life; a lodge which serves food and sells gifts; cabins for rent; and hiking trails...
. It has been heading toward extinction
Extinction
In biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...
because of its lack of tolerance to alteration of its habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
, which is based on mesic and wet forests, especially ōhia lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha
Metrosideros polymorpha
The ōhia lehua is a species of flowering evergreen tree in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, that is endemic to the six largest islands of Hawaii. It is a highly variable tree, being tall in favorable situations, and much smaller when growing in boggy soils or on basalt...
) trees.
Threats
The Akekee is threatened by the introduction of plants like the banana pōka (Passiflora tarminianaPassiflora tarminiana
Passiflora tarminiana is a species of passionfruit. The yellow fruits are edible and their resemblance to small, straight bananas has given it the name banana passionfruit in some countries. It is native to the uplands of tropical South America and is now cultivated in many countries. In Hawai'i...
), a passionflower vine
Vine
A vine in the narrowest sense is the grapevine , but more generally it can refer to any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent, that is to say climbing, stems or runners...
, that displace the native plants. Feral pigs and feral goat
Feral goat
The feral goat is the domestic goat when it has become established in the wild. Feral goats occur in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Great Britain, Hawaii, the Galapagos and in many other parts of the world...
s also destroy native growth. Eventually, the insects on which the Akekee feeds will disappear from such areas, as they do not find their usual host plants anymore. Avian malaria
Avian malaria
Avian malaria is a parasitic disease of birds.-Etiology:Avian malaria is most notably caused by Plasmodium relictum, a protist that infects birds in tropical regions...
(Plasmodium relictum) and fowlpox
Fowlpox
Fowlpox is a worldwide disease of poultry caused by viruses of the family Poxviridae and the genus Avipoxvirus. The viruses causing fowlpox are distinct from one another but antigenically similar, possible hosts including chickens, turkeys, quail, canaries, pigeons, and many other species of...
transmitted by accidentally introduced mosquito
Mosquito
Mosquitoes are members of a family of nematocerid flies: the Culicidae . The word Mosquito is from the Spanish and Portuguese for little fly...
s continues to wreak havoc on the Akekee; this is the reason why these birds are hardly ever found anymore below 1,100 meters ASL
Above mean sea level
The term above mean sea level refers to the elevation or altitude of any object, relative to the average sea level datum. AMSL is used extensively in radio by engineers to determine the coverage area a station will be able to reach...
, but only in higher regions where the mosquitoes do not occur yet. Forest clearing in different parts of the island of Kauai has caused a major loss of habitat of many birds.
Conservation status for this species was updated to Critically Endangered
Critically Endangered
Critically Endangered is the highest risk category assigned by the IUCN Red List for wild species. Critically Endangered means that a species' numbers have decreased, or will decrease, by 80% within three generations....
in 2008 due to a rapid decrease in population over the last decade. Current population estimates are under 5,000 birds.